1. Smart policies, strong utilities, sustainable services
Beyond Utility Reach? How to Close the Urban – Rural Access Gap
A Review of Rural Water and sanitation Services in seven countries of the danube region
Susanna Smets, Senior Water and Sanitation Specialist
Elvira Broeks, Water and Sanitation Analyst
Danube Water Conference
Vienna, May 2, 2018
Smart policies, strong utilities, sustainable services

2. Rural areas have the largest share of people without piped water in the Danube Region
Out of all the population in the 16 Danube countries
SOS 2015, General regional context, large proportion of the rural population are unserved.
World Bank State of the Sector, 2015

3. Given large URBAN-RURAL access gaps Regional Review was launched to address knowledge gaps
Aims
Increase awareness and knowledge on how rural service provision is organized and to what extent rural populations are reached
Understand how and to what extent regionalisation of utility service provision has been able to reach rural households
Present lessons and recommendations on how to expand and/or improve the provision of services for rural populations.
Why we launched the review

4. Seven countries included in the Regional Review on Rural Water and Sanitation Services
Show the countries we chose

5. The Region’s rural water services are characterized by STILL a high reliance on local operators and piped self-supply
Continuing from the previous slide the proportion of the population served by each management model. High light high proportion of local operators and local operators.

6. Guiding framework recognizes the importance of enabling environment and multiple institutional levels
How we structured the report. It was guided by global analytical work in several countries where there is recognition of the importance of country context, sector governance and the need to develop a service delivery approach that recognizes the importance of three institutional levels, and a multitude of management models on how services are organized; then looking at critical aspects such as institutional capacity, financing, asset management, water resources and the importance for monitoring and regulatory oversight
World Bank, 2017

7. Enabling conditions for rural water services vary in the region and remain weak in BiH, Moldova and Ukraine
Based on the guiding framework, we did and qualitative analysis of the enabling environment in each country. Explain what the indicators mean. Then highlight that the enabling environment is still weak in BiH, Moldova and Ukraine. And across building blocks highlight institutional capacity where there is still a lack of a broader strategy addressing specifically rural water and sanitation services, on financing that there is still work to do to ensure dedicated funding windows and that on monitoring and regulation there is still work to on adequate tariff setting and properly licensing operators and linking these to performance information systems.

8. Three key messages to close urban-rural gap
Developing the enabling environment, policies, legislative framework, financing and support measures for all delivery models
Achievement of SDGs requires multiple service delivery models for rural areas operating in parallel:
Regional/urban service providers expanding to rural areas
Supporting local operator models
Improving self-supply for dispersed populations
Sanitation solutions for rural areas need to go beyond sewerage, anchored in local reality and require local government engagement

9. Lessons from Regionalization Path
Positive outcomes in Kosovo and Croatia point to processes that have
deliberate equity objective and a clear mandate
dedicated measures to support integration of rural systems
targeted investments and technical assistance to local governments and service providers handle complexity
In the face of high inequalities and aggregations with large numbers of local governments, lessons from Romania point to importance of:
Strong financial incentives/subsidies to prioritise equity with dedicated slices of national investments directed to rural areas
Accountability mechanisms with time-bound targets for closing the urban-rural gap
Mechanisms for an inclusive governance model, to represent the interest of economically weaker local governments
See also the Aggregation Tool Kit World Bank
In Romania – mention some reluctance of ROCs taking over systems operated by local operators and vice versa, local governments not wanting to join the ROC.

10. Lessons from Local Operator Models (I)
Improving legislation, monitoring and financing
Bring local models under legal framework and support licensing regime with minimum standards/audits (e.g. Austria)
Asset inventories linked to national performance monitoring systems (e.g. SIASAR in Latin America)
Target investment programs for local governments with implementation support by (rural water) agency
Improving service levels to drive customer satisfaction
Investments in treatment and technical support
Water safety planning and monitoring
For example Austrian water law that recognizes genossenschaften as a “public water provider under the law”; licensing and audit;
Improve service levels by addressing reliability and water safety through investments, technical training on water safety planning, and follow-up support.

11. Lessons for Local Operator Model (II)
Improving performance and sustainability
Better oversight and use of tariff guidelines (to increase cost recovery)
At-scale capacity support programs, including for local governments
Different models for capacity support can work but require public funds
Umbrella organizations (federations/associations)
Utility and/or dedicated “rural water agencies”
Outsourced to private TA providers
Austria mlinium water tariff to qualify for subsidies!; tariff guidleines in Colombia

12. Lessons for Supported Self-Supply
Develop a supported self-supply program as an alternative pathway to achieve public policy goals
Communication and information campaigns
Mobile water quality testing programs
Targeted grant schemes for improvements in quality and accessibility
Inventories and risks assessment by local government with support of public health institutes

13. Thank you